New stretch target

We did it!

We’ve achieved our target for the Long and Short Messiah project! A HUGE thank you to everyone who has pledged so far.

We now have the funds to go ahead with the full performance of Handel’s Messiah on 12th December and to take an abridged version into schools. And we can start applying for the funds for some of the exciting projects we have planned for 2017.

But let’s not stop there!

Everything we receive goes towards making music – the more we get, the more music we make! For instance:

£500 would pay for a new composition for narrator and orchestra which we hope to include in our next children’s concert.

Another £500 would cover the cost of recording the three short operas that we hope to commission and perform next year.

And a further £2,000 would allow us to commission a Yorkshire-based video artist to create a two-hour expressionist video telling the Passion story to accompany a performance of Bach’s St John Passion.

So, thank you again for your continued support!

Please continue to help us spread the word by sharing our campaign online through Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #LongAndShortMessiah and mentioning @skiptoncamerata.

Here’s the Long and the Short of it

With your help we aim to raise £6,000 in 6 weeks to fund Skipton Camerata’s Long and Short Messiah project and to help us secure the short-term and long-term futures of North Yorkshire’s only professional orchestra.

A Long and a Short Messiah

This December Skipton Camerata under its Artistic Director, Ben Crick, aims to do two versions of the Messiah – one long, the other short.

The ‘short Messiah’ is a 20-minute abridged version to be performed in primary schools in and around Skipton in early December. This will be free to the schools and will introduce Handel’s masterpiece to a whole new generation of our community. The pupils will then be invited to attend part of the rehearsal for the long version.

A perennial favourite and the traditional start to Christmas, Handel’s Messiah is as popular now as it was over two and a half centuries ago, from the heartfelt simplicity of ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’ to the grandeur of the ‘Hallelujah’ chorus. Those who have attended a Camerata Messiah in previous years will attest to the quality and energy of their performances.

About Skipton Camerata

Skipton Building Society Camerata, to use its long name, is a professional orchestra that has been providing classical music in our area for over ten years. Indeed, it is the only professional orchestra in this part of the country.

In total it has given over 200 concerts across the country, performed to thousands of people and delivered workshops to hundreds of children. Skipton Camerata is a registered charity, so every penny it receives is put into making music.

Cellist Raphael Wallfisch with Skipton Building Society Camerata

Why do we need your help?

Skipton Camerata’s mission is to make high-quality live orchestral music available to everyone. But it is an expensive mission. Ticket sales, even for sold-out concerts, rarely cover half the true cost of an event. The shortfall is made up by the generous contribution from Skipton Building Society and by various other grants and donations.

Unfortunately, the demand on funding organisations is continually increasing. Skipton Camerata is competing with much larger, predominantly London-based organisations. These are difficult times for the arts and provision in rural areas is particularly at risk.

In 2017 we have plans for a number of exciting projects that will increase our long-term sustainability by making a new audience aware of our work. Those plans include:

Commissioning three small operas to be performed free in unusual venues around the town

A series of ‘Café Culture’ events combining chamber music with food and a talk

A performance of Bach’s St John Passion featuring a newly commissioned video installation

In order to do that and to continue bringing great music to the area Skipton Camerata needs your help now. £6,000 will not only secure a performance of Handel’s Messiah this December but it will also pay some of the costs of fundraising for our 2017 programme.

How much does the project cost?

The full cost of Skipton Camerata’s Long and Short Messiah project exceeds £16,000. Just putting on Handel’s Messiah in Christ Church would ordinarily cost more than £6,000. However, thanks to the generosity of many of our supporters, not least the loyal professional musicians who have waived their standard fees for this project, we now need just £6,000 to make it all happen.

£1,900 will cover all musicians’ expenses for both the ‘short Messiah’ in schools and the ‘long Messiah’ on 12th December. Another £2,600 pays for the other rewards we’re offering – dinner with the performers, a CD of the Messiah, an exclusive event in Skipton Castle, etc. Crowdfunding and payment fees will take approximately £500, leaving £1,000 which will be used to raise funds for projects in 2017.

What rewards are we offering?

We have a great range of rewards! You can help us raise £6,000 by pledging as much or as little as you like.

If you simply want to make a donation you can pledge as little as £10 and we’ll say a big ‘thank you’ in the concert programme and on the website. Or you may be interested in some of the other exciting things we’re offering:

Tickets for Camerata’s performance of the Messiah in Christ Church. We’ll also give you a complimentary programme and a free drink each, and family tickets include young person’s guides to Handel’s Messiah.

A professionally made, limited edition 2-CD recording of the concert.

A private dinner with the conductor and some of the performers at one of Skipton’s best restaurants.

An invitation to an exclusive concert in the new year with a wine and canapés reception in Skipton Castle.

You can even be the named patron of the concert.

Click on the rewards listed above for full details.

How else can you help?

You can also help by letting others know how unique Skipton Camerata is and telling them about our campaign.

Help us safeguard live classical music

Skipton Camerata is a rare jewel in North Yorkshire’s crown. With your help we can ensure it continues, in both the short term and the long-term, to bring national quality music-making to areas of limited provision.

Remember, the project will only go ahead if we reach our target of £6,000. So please join those who have already pledged their services to this great project and help keep professional classical music alive in Yorkshire.